NBH would like to congratulate Chris Mason of the St. Louis Blues for being named the NHL's First Star of the week.

Mason went 4-0-0 record with a 1.72 goals-against average and .930 save percentage as the Blues (37-30-9) moved into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

During that stretch Mason picked up his fifth shutout of the season during the team's 2-0 win against the Kings. For the season, Mason is now 23-20-6 with a 2.42 goals-against average. He and the Blues will look to continue their playoff push when they take on the Blackhawks in Chicago on Wednesday night.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

Tim Thomas stopped a season high 45 shots and Milan Lucic scored his 15th and 16th goals of the season to lead the Bruins to a big 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Thomas made some huge saves during the game, including some acrobatic stops during a Flyers 5 on 3 power play during the second period. "Offensively we were opportunistic and scored some big goals and we're getting that part of our game together," Thomas said. "I don't think anybody thinks that we're completely there. I think it's a step in the right direction."

Thomas continues to lead the league in both Goals Against Average (2.13) and save percentage (.931) in what has become a season worthy of winning the Vezina Trophy.

Lucic's goals came in the first period when he tied the game at 1 and then later gave the B's a 3-1 lead. "We wanted to come out hard," Lucic said. "We got the momentum on our side and we just controlled the second and third period."

The Bruins have won three in a row and will look to make it four when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne have each had seasons in which they have had to battle and prove the doubters wrong.

Carter has emerged and shown that he is one of the elite scorers in this league while Gagne has battled back from injuries to once again regain his scoring touch and high level of play.

On Monday night they continued to improve upon their impressive seasons as both men netted goals for the Flyers. Carter scored the game winning goal against New Jersey, which turned out to be his 40th goal of the season. He leads the Flyers in goals and is currently third overall in the league. Carter also has a career high 33 assists which gives him a total of 73 points.

Gagne scored his his 30th goal of the season as he extended his goal scoring streak to three games. He has been one of the great stories in the NHL this season as he missed 57 games last season with injuries. He has also picked up 39 assists which gives him 69 points, the second most he has scored during a regular season.

Both Carter and Gagne will be looking to finish the regular season strong, as the Flyers currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with just 10 games remaining. They will be action on Thursday night when they host the Florida Panthers.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

The Pittsburgh Penguins are playing their best hockey of the season and it couldn't have come at a better time. In jeopardy of missing the playoffs after reaching the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago, the Penguins have turned it on and have gone 9-0-2 in their last 11 games. Their sudden surge has put them into 5th place in the Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining.

Two big reasons for their turnaround has been the continued solid play of Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Malkin tied a career high on Tuesday night with five points and became the first player this season to record 100 points. For the season, Malkin now has 32 goals and 70 assists for a league high 102 points.

Meanwhile, Jordan Staal picked up his 20th goal of the season against Atlanta on Tuesday night and has been playing his best hockey of season. He now has nine points in his last 10 games by scoring five goals and picking up four assists.

Both Malkin and Staal will continue the Pens six game homestand on Friday when they host the Los Angeles Kings.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

Since being traded to the Calgary Flames at the NHL's trade deadline, Olli Jokinen has been scoring at will on opposing goalies.

In his six games with his new club, Jokinen has scored eight goals, along with a shootout winner, to go along with two assists. His latest performance was a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

"It's a good hockey team and I'm playing with good players", Jokinen said. "I get a lot of chances and I feel a little bit lucky, the puck's been following me."

For the season, Jokinen now has 29 goals to go along with 23 assists. With one more goal, Jokinen will have scored 30 or more goals in five of his last six seasons. He and the Flames are currently in third place in the Western Conference and will host the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

NBH would like to congratulate Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes for being named the NHL's First Star of the week.

Eric led the NHL in scoring this past week with five goals and four assists for a total of nine points. The Hurricanes won all three games they played by beating the Capitals, Flames and Lightning. Eric finished the week off in style by scoring a career high four goals during the team's 9-3 victory against Tampa Bay. His four goals and six points during the game tied single-game franchise records for the Hurricanes. For the season, Eric has a team high 32 goals and a total of 58 points.

Posted By: Luke Ventura